Meriah Nichols Talks About Disability

the disability pride flag: what it represents, who it's for

In this conversation, Jo Ann and Stephanie Meredith talk about their newly updated handbook that helps families in the Down syndrome community navigate the transition to adulthood. Originally written by Jo Ann and now refreshed with Stephanie’s insight, the book offers guidance for families moving from school-age supports into adult life, a stage that can feel overwhelming at times. They share wha...

This is an interview with Jose Rosario, a bad ass activist, mental health therapist, super smart and fun guy who has somehow never watched Star Trek. It is a part of the Cool Cats: Voices from the Disability Community series, in which Meriah interviews cool people from the disability community so you can get to know them. Jose's "Short" Bio Born to young Puerto Rican parents, José Rosario develope...

Choice is the most powerful tool a human being has. This is an essay about the stories we tell, the choices we make, and the experience of disability

This is an answer to a question posed, "why do I need to feel pride in my disability? Isn't it enough that I accept my disability?" It will talk about disability pride, models of disability, sparkle sauce and glitter juice. You can watch me read the essay below, or listen on the podcast (it has been edited, but was originally published in July of 2022) Watch the Podcast Video of "Why Do We Need to...

This is about Elevatus Training, which is a Sexual Education program for people with Intellectual and Developmental disabilities. This was originally published in 2021 The full interview is in video below. If you prefer the podcast version, just click the link above. The full interview transcript is at the end of this post, with the highlights proceeding it. Sex Ed and Intellectual or Developmenta...

This is from my ongoing question-and-answer series, "You Ask, I Answer" in which I take questions that you send me and attempt to answer them. Do you have a question? A Reader asks,  What is "disability justice"? Isn't it the same thing as "disability rights"? Dear Reader, I love your question and I'm glad you asked. Disability justice is a sweet, sweet subject and I'd love for our community to be...

Corbett O'Toole was a keynote speaker at the 2025 PacRim International Conference on Disability. It was awesome; you should have been there. I love her so much, and I loved her keynote so much that I wanted to share it here, and got lucky because everyone said I could. :) Please scroll to the end to watch the video of her speaking. These are words we need to hear right now.  Aloha. I'm really happ...

This is a personal post about where Moxie is in her educational journey and all the feeings that come along with this Moxie starts high school in August. She’s had a solid run at her intermediate school. Her sixth-grade elementary teachers really saw her—they believed in her and recognized her strengths. Thanks to their advocacy, Moxie was placed in what’s called “General Special Ed.” I’m not sure...

Toolbox Tuesday: a tip on using the iPhone built-in transcription app (speech-to-text) I’m profoundly deaf. I also have ADHD—the kind that makes my brain feel like it’s got tabs open in every room of a house I can’t find my way through. This combination means I need speech-to-text apps to navigate the world—but also that I often forget to download or open them until I’m already in the thick of nee...

Ableism is not just a word; it's an everyday reality. It's the pervasive discrimination, prejudice, and bias against us disabled individuals. It's the belief - often unspoken - that being non-disabled is better, more normal, or more valuable. Ableism shows up in attitudes, actions, systems, and environments that exclude, dismiss, or devalue our disabled lives. We’ve been told in a thousand ways th...

This is an interview with Lance Kamaka, a Hawaiian deafblind musician. It is a part of the Cool Cats: Voices from the Disability Community series, in which Meriah interviews cool people from the disability community so you can get to know them. Lance Kamaka https://youtu.be/4uDFhlTJ1MA?si=gF-5mXWAz0ibPAEK The clip that Lance mentioned at the end of his interview, in which he plays Queen Liliuokala...

This is a personal post about the current political situation, with the House passing of the ʻOne Big Beautiful Billʻ as well as the events of the past 5 months. If you click the player above, you can listen to me read this. Alternatively, the video of me reading this is below. https://youtu.be/3_9hvJZPh2g I feel so scared. No, that's not right. I feel frozen and paralyzed, like that buildup of te...

This is an article with resources to explain grief and loss to anyone with an intellectual or developmental disability, but focuses on explaining grief to people with Down syndrome. It has been updated from the original, published in June 2020. In 2016, my children were with me when my Grandpa Jack died. One month later, they were in the room as I held one of my Grandma Jean's hands and my brother...

This is about developing disability pride and disability pride being a protest. This was originally published in July, 2022, updated in July 2024. You can listen to me read it by clicking the player below, or subscribing to my podcast on Spotify or iTunes. Patrons can download the pdf for this. Become a Patron! Disability Pride is a Protest When you are continuously told by your culture, language,...

This post is about the best speech to text apps and is updated from a 2020 post. Affiliate links may be present - doesn't cost you more, helps keep this blog going and does not affect my rating of the product (- I use captions too; I'm not going to recommend junk for the sake of making a few pennies).  This post is meant to serve as a resource for deaf or Deaf people (hearing impaired, hard of hea...

This was originally published on September 7, 2012. It's a personal post on strength, love and courage. You can listen to me read this post by clicking the player below, or on my podcast on Spotify or iTunes. Maya Angelou once said that courage is the most important virtue, because without it, we wouldn't be able to consistently practice the others. I've always agreed with that, because it can be...

This was originally published on March 6, 2013 It is an account of the time that I was pregnant with Moxie. Please be aware this post discusses violence, sexual abuse and abortion. You can listen to me read this post by clicking the player below, or on my podcast on Spotify or iTunes. I. The beginning of my pregnancy with Moxie feels jumbled, as I recollect it now, some 3 years later. It’s a blur...

This is a personal post that wraps up the first part, Almost 50 Listen to me read this by clicking the player below: Almost 50, Part 2: Details You know what bothers me about the post I just sent your way, “Almost 50”? It bothers me that I was talking about real things in a vague way. Time passing faster. Be here now. That stuff. I want to add more detail to make those real statements less vague....

I wanted this to be a personal post like hauʻoli makahiki hou - a year sum up - but in the end, the time to write it was as elusive as mercury. And so. This is mostly about time. Click the player below to listen to me read this. Time speeds up when we get older. Remember that movie, “Groundhog Day”? Remember how he has to re-live the same day, over and over until he gets it completely right, and a...

This is Micah Nichols' inaugural blog post, an interview with author Melissa Hart on her book, "Daisy Wormwood Changes the World." You can listen to this interview via the "Unpacking Disability with Meriah Nichols" podcast, below, or on Spotify or Apple iTunes. Melissa Hart wrote a book geared for teens: Daisy Woodworm Changes the World $14.99 Thirteen-year-old Daisy Woodward loves insects, runnin...

This is a review of the book, "Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life," by Alice Wong. You can listen to me read this post by clicking the player below this, or on my podcast on Spotify or iTunes. Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life Sometimes I feel like any memoir written even a little decently and capturing a piece of the disability experience is poised to become a bestseller. Not necessarily b...

This is a comprehensive post about Medicare. It covers: What is Medicare? What Are the Parts of Medicare? Detailed Explanations on the Parts of Medicare? Who Can Get Medicare and way more - please refer to the table below with links to jump directly to the part you are looking for guidance on. Kathleen Downes wrote this post. She knows a whole lot about Medicare but she does not work for Medicare....

When Moxie said, "I hate Down syndrome." Talking about disability, hurt, pride, and why pride is so important.

Get past the first couple of chapters and you'll probably fall in love with it The post “10 Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation” appeared first on Meriah Nichols .